Kia Sportage Reliability: Common Problems and Years to Avoid
What the Kia Sportage fails its MOT on, with rough repair costs, and how each model year's MOT pass rate compares with other cars of the same age. Based on 473,579 MOT tests across 19 model years (DVSA data for tests carried out in 2024, retests included).
Segment: family car | Fuel: Petrol, Diesel
84%
Kia Sportage pass rate
86%
Kia average
82%
All-model average
The Kia Sportage has an average MOT pass rate of 84%, which is 2 points below the Kia average and 2 points above the average across all models in our data. Newer Kia Sportages pass their MOT more often than older ones, by 15 percentage points on average, which is mostly down to age and wear.
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What the Kia Sportage Fails Its MOT On
Of the 63,194 MOT tests on the Kia Sportage that failed at the first attempt in 2025, the share that failed on each part of the test, next to the share for all cars and vans of the same ages. A test that failed on two areas counts in both.
Brakes
36%Cars and vans the same age: 21% (the Sportage fails on this more often) · Typical repair £80-£450
Tyres
25%Cars and vans the same age: 25% · Typical repair £50-£300
Suspension
23%Cars and vans the same age: 29% · Typical repair £150-£600
Lights and electrics
23%Cars and vans the same age: 33% (the Sportage fails on this less often) · Typical repair £15-£200
Windscreen, wipers and mirrors
17%Cars and vans the same age: 15% · Typical repair £10-£350
The 3 single faults it failed on most
- Brake pads: less than 1.5 mm thick (14% of failed tests, brakes)
- Tyre tread depth below the 1.6mm limit (13% of failed tests, tyres)
- Wipers: does not clear the windscreen effectively (7.8% of failed tests, windscreen, wipers and mirrors)
Source: CarCostCheck analysis of DVSA anonymised MOT test results and failure items for 2025: first attempt at each MOT, fail and pass-after-repair defects, DVSA's defect categories (names shortened). Repair costs are rough UK ranges, not quotes. Method and national figures: MOT failure reasons 2025.
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Kia Sportage Years to Avoid
Every car in the 2024 MOT data was tested at the same age as the other cars first registered that year, so each Sportage year is compared with all cars from the same year. Years with 1,000+ tests that were at least three years old are included.
Failed more often than cars their age
Passed more often than cars their age
No year passed 3 or more points more often than other cars of the same age.
A lower pass rate means that year failed its MOT more often in 2024; it does not mean every car from that year is bad. Old cars still on the road are often the best-kept ones, which can lift the pass rates of the oldest years. How a car has been looked after matters more, so check the MOT history of the car you are looking at.
Kia Sportage Reliability by Year
MOT pass rate for each model year, from DVSA data for tests carried out in 2024 (retests included). Newer cars usually pass more often simply because they are younger. All Cars is the pass rate of every car first registered that year, with the gap in points. Highest and lowest are marked among years with 100+ tests that were at least three years old when tested. Fuel and engine size are a guide only.
| Year | Fuel | Engine | Pass Rate | Fail Rate | All Cars |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2022 | Petrol | 1.6L | 92% | 7% | - |
| 2021 | Diesel | 1.6L | 91% | 8% | 93% (-2) |
| 2020 | Diesel | 1.6L | 90% | 9% | 92% (-2) |
| 2019 | Diesel | 1.6L | 89% | 10% | 91% (-2) |
| 2018 | Diesel | 1.6L | 88% | 12% | 89% (-1) |
| 2017 | Diesel | 1.7L | 86% | 13% | 87% (-1) |
| 2016 | Diesel | 1.7L | 85% | 15% | 86% (-1) |
| 2015 | Diesel | 1.7L | 82% | 18% | 84% (-2) |
| 2014 | Diesel | 1.7L | 81% | 19% | 82% (-1) |
| 2013 | Petrol | 1.6L | 76% | 24% | 80% (-4) |
| 2012 | Diesel | 1.7L | 75% | 24% | 79% (-4) |
| 2011 | Diesel | 1.7L | 74% | 25% | 77% (-3) |
| 2010 | Diesel | 1.7L | 73% | 27% | 75% (-2) |
| 2009 | Petrol | 2.0L | 70% | 29% | 75% (-5) |
| 2008 | Diesel | 2.0L | 70% | 30% | 74% (-4) |
| 2007 | Diesel | 2.0L | 65% | 33% | 73% (-8) |
| 2006 | Diesel | 2.0L | 66% | 32% | 73% (-7) |
| 2005 | Diesel | 2.0L | 66% | 31% | 73% (-7) |
| 2003 | Diesel | 2.0L | 74% | 26% | - |
Kia Sportage Running Costs
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Kia Sportage FAQ
What are the most common Kia Sportage problems?
In 2025, MOT tests on the Kia Sportage that failed at the first attempt most often failed on brakes (36% of the 63,194 failed tests), tyres (25%) and suspension (23%). The single most common fault was "Brake pads: less than 1.5 mm thick" (14%). Across 473,579 MOT tests (DVSA MOT data for tests in 2024, retests included), 84% ended in a pass.
Is the Kia Sportage reliable?
The Kia Sportage has an average MOT pass rate of 84%, from 473,579 MOT tests (DVSA MOT data for tests in 2024, retests included). Comparing each model year with all cars first registered the same year, so that age is allowed for, it passed within 2 points of other cars of the same age, so about average for its age.
Which Kia Sportage years should I avoid?
Compared with all cars first registered the same year (DVSA MOT data for tests in 2024, retests included), the 2007 (65% of 2,676 tests passed, against 73% for all 2007 cars), the 2005 (66% of 2,354 tests passed, against 73% for all 2005 cars) and the 2006 (66% of 2,245 tests passed, against 73% for all 2006 cars) failed their MOT most often for their age. A year's pass rate does not tell you about one car, so check the MOT history of the car you are buying.
How much does it cost to fix common Kia Sportage faults?
As a rough guide, brake work on a Kia Sportage typically costs £80-£450 and suspension repairs £150-£600, while exhaust and emissions fixes can cost £80-£800. Lighting and wiper fixes are usually under £200.
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Other Kia Models
Common problems pages for other Kia models